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Youtube Vlogging: The Complete Manual
Youtube Vlogging: The Complete Manual
YouTube
NE
Vlogging
The Complete Manual
The essential handbook for all vloggers
Welcome to
YouTube
Vlogging
The Complete Manual
YouTube has revolutionised online video; made it an
interactive, personal and completely customisable
experience. Whether you want to vlog about your
beauty regime or share your music with the world,
YouTube can cater to your creativity. The possibilities
are endless so this guide is here to take you through
the process, from choosing the right camera to
promoting your vlog. YouTube stars Bing and
Mippey5 also provide invaluable industry tips and
impart their vlogging experiences.
Enjoy the book!
YouTube
Vlogging
The Complete Manual
Imagine Publishing Ltd
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YouTube © Google
ISBN 9781785460579
Contents
What you can find inside the bookazine
Top p44
vlogging
tips from
Bing
YouTube production
42 Produce great videos
Develop a process
44 Vlogging with Bing
Christopher Bingham
Introducing YouTube Getting started explains his process
08 An introduction to 26 How to get started 46 How to properly plan
YouTube Start filming & editing a video
Get to know YouTube Cover all your bases
28 Creating your channel
12 The appeal of vlogging Set up your channel 50 Camera
Why create a vlog? Know which camera
30 Develop your channel
Your online presence suits your vlog’s needs
14 Types of vlogs
Discover the variety of 34 How to present yourself 54 Microphone
video blogging Let your personality shine Find the right mic for
your vlog
18 YouTube royalty 2015 36 Write your vlog
Today’s biggest names Find your process 56 Lighting, set and
accessories
22 Interview: Mippey5 38 Write a script Get the most out of your
We chat to Mippey5 Start script writing sets and accessories
24 Put the ‘You’ in YouTube 40 Planning your shots 60 Software for beginners
Find your niche Design a storyboard Start editing your vlogs
Introducing
YouTube
The platform has redefined music,
film, entertainment, social media,
and blogging – discover the ins
and outs of YouTube
The name says it all; YouTube takes video
consumption and makes it personal,
interactive, and highly customisable.
Celebrating its tenth anniversary this year,
YouTube has revolutionised the online
world. The video streaming site relies on
user-generated content and is open to
anyone, opening up a new kind of self-
expression: vlogging.
Taken from the word blogging, online
diary entries, which have been around
since the rise of the internet in the Nineties,
vlogging (now adopted in the Oxford
English dictionary) is the act of recording
news and opinions about a particular
subject via video and publishing this
recording online.
Vlogging can be as simple as talking into
a camera about your interests or daily
activities to filming advanced sketches,
parodies, music videos, tutorials, short films
and much more. Since its inception, vlogging
has evolved into a fully fledged entertainment
form, and has created an entire YouTube
community of enthusiastic vloggers and
their fans.
8
Video revolution Introducing YouTube
9
Introducing YouTube A brief history
11
Introducing YouTube The appeal of vlogging
YouTube stars
breaking out
The appeal
Grace Helbig One of the biggest
breakout YouTube stars ever has
of vlogging
to be Grace Helbig. She’s landed YouTube is so popular that vloggers are fast
her own late-night TV show on becoming famous in real life – here’s how and why
US television, imaginatively titled
The Grace Helbig Show.
It’s crazy how much you feel like you know your favourite YouTubers
– you know what their pets’ names are, when they’ve had a new
haircut, and which TV shows they rate – but it’s always a surprise
when they step out from behind the camera and start appearing in
the real world. From being featured in magazines to launching their
own brands of soap, it’s becoming harder to avoid your YouTube
faves as you walk down the high street. As a newbie, seeing
just how big you can get on YouTube can be both exciting and
Jazza John When not vlogging overwhelming. YouTube has over one billion users, and editing and
on rhymingwithoranges, Jazza filming isn’t easy and can take up a lot of time. It’s not the easiest of
John helps organise Summer in social networks to get into, so why is YouTube so flippin’ popular?
the City, the UK’s biggest YouTube
convention. He also works with And why are people spending so much time on there? Here are the
political movement Bite the Ballot. top reasons why we think vlogging has become so huge.
12
The appeal of vlogging Introducing YouTube
It’s social
As much as you try to avoid
it, the notorious YouTube
comment section is part of the
vlogging experience (unless …been on The Great Comic
you disable it). However, don’t Relief Bake Off Zoe narrowly
be scared of mean comments! missed out on first place.
13
Getting started Introducing YouTube
Types of vlogs
There is a lot of variety in video blogging, Christopher Bingham takes us
through what they are to help you find your niche
Personal
A lot of vloggers talk about their lives. A video can be as simple
as speaking about an issue, or a problem you have encountered
recently. At its heart, the appeal of this kind of video is to identify
and bond with the creator. Their lives may reveal parallels with our
own, present lessons or warnings, or just cheer us up after a bad
day. The level of access vloggers grant to their audience can be
extremely intimate, with some famous vloggers documenting their
home life, past traumatic experiences and even sexual habits.
By contrast, some never share as much as their surname. Every
video creator must make their own decisions about the level of
openness they are comfortable with and consider them carefully,
as YouTube is a public global platform. If you’re an open book,
Shay Carl and Christopher Bingham These however, sharing your experiences might be one of the most
vloggers share their lives with the screen. Their
ups and downs are watched all over the world rewarding projects you’ve ever embarked on.
Humour
YouTube is a brilliant outlet for comedians, and some treat vlogging
like a stand-up gig. Subjects are as wide-ranging as current affairs,
anecdotes, trending topics or just nonsense. What matters is that
it is presented with flair, energy and comic timing. Some comedy
vloggers shoot ‘in character’ as a fictional person or exaggerated
versions of themselves, and experiment with other conventional
elements of vlogging. Though in all areas of vlogging you find
creators who either tightly script every word or improvise on the
spot, in comedy the two are married like nowhere else.
Observational comedy might be delivered without preparation
or only a loose structure, and character-driven content can be
an improvised stream of consciousness or a perfectly worded
monologue. Editing is also an important factor, as humour often
Grace Helbig and Josh Leyva These rising comes down to pace, and a seasoned editor can make the
comedy talents speak their minds with the timing
and wit of stand-up performers difference between a comedy hit and bombing on a global stage.
14
Introducing YouTube Getting started
Travel
Some of the most interesting journeys of this decade are happening
on the internet. Vlogging offers a unique opportunity to travel
alongside someone as they explore the world, and experience
some of the more spontaneous moments a television production
might miss. Modern video cameras can be as small as ring box, or
come built into your smartphone, so a modern explorer doesn’t
need to fly with masses of equipment and a crew. Vloggers can
travel light with just some clothes, a skateboard and a tiny camera.
What we may lose in image and sound quality we make up for
in connectedness. Some of the best travel vlogs are at times the
perfect blend of documentary filmmaking and honest, personal
reflection. Pictured on the top-left is Louis Cole, a successful travel
Road trip Louis Cole joined JacksGap for an vlogger. He spends most of his year bouncing all over the world,
incredible road trip across India, full of breakdowns,
failures and triumphs for their subscribers to watch uploading daily.
Experimental
It’s important to remember that one of the best things about the
internet is that there are no limits to what you can make. Most
vloggers don’t have a plan, and make it up as they go along,
experimenting with format, length, style and content until they
find what works for them. The majority of vloggers wouldn’t fit
into one of these categories, but rather several of them. Thousands
of innovative vloggers blend fact with fiction, and scripted with
unscripted work, or pick and choose from different fields every
week. Most vloggers don’t have managers, producers or directors
telling them what to do, so they make what they want to make.
These pages focus on vlogging, but that doesn’t mean there is
a universal agreement on exactly what a ‘vlog’ is; far from it, and
video makers welcome the challenge to push the definition as far Up for interpretation Like all art, ‘vlog’ is a term
that can be interpreted in many ways. Pictured is
as possible. Mitchell Davis and his video ‘Watery Merge’
17
Getting started Introducing YouTube
Zoella
Her most avid fans will know that beauty guru
Zoe Sugg started out as a beauty blogger, but
since then, she’s become one of the biggest
YouTubers in the world. While she’s still stayed
true to her fashion and beauty roots with
her super popular clothing reviews and hair
tutorials, she now stars in all kinds of videos
including homeware hauls and challenges with
other YouTube friends.
Alfie Deyes
As well as being in a high-profile relationship
with fellow YouTuber Zoe Sugg, Alfie Deyes
has been making videos since 2009. His witty
and charming delivery to camera has scored
him millions of subscribers and a career making
videos full-time. There’s been other perks too:
he’s had Ariana Grande do his makeup, and he
holds the world record for popping the most
party poppers in thirty-seconds.
18
Introducing YouTube Getting started
Joe Sugg
The eagle-eyed amongst you might spot that
this prolific YouTuber shares a surname with
another über-famous vlogger – yep, Joe is Zoe
Sugg’s brother! After seeing his big sister take
to the YouTube stage, Joe has decided to get
involved too, much to the delight of the massive
crew of subscribers that he’s since gathered.
He is also the king of YouTube collabs – his
videos are like a who’s who of YouTube. Very
convenient in case you’re still trying to figure out
who’s worth subscribing to.
Tyrannosauruslexxx
No, that’s not a typo! Someone who’s injecting
a bit of well-needed fun into things like voting
and animal rights right now is YouTuber Lex
Croucher. Although she modestly describes her
channel as ‘dumb internet videos’, Lex’s channel
is anything but stupid. Through a mixture of
dry wit and razor-sharp observations, she’s
dedicated to bringing the issues she cares about
to you through the power of YouTube, twice a
week. If you feel strongly about the issues she
talks about, she’s one to follow.
Tanya Burr
Beauty queen Tanya is more than happy to have
her legion of fans follow her on her vlogging
adventures around the UK. She also documents
her adorable relationship with Jim, her husband,
and takes part in challenges with other famous
YouTubers like Zoella. Of course, there’s also
what she’s most famous for: her beauty tutorials,
which are as polished and glossy as she is. Just
like Zoella, she recently released her first book,
called Love, Tanya, filled with her experiences
and tips on beauty, life and YouTube.
19
Introducing YouTube YouTube royalty 2015
MarinaShutUp
Current affairs and opinions on social issues is
a very big part of YouTube, as it allows young
people to let their voice be heard. Marina’s
channel speaks out about the hot topics that
mainstream media won’t touch, and thus covers
some pretty controversial topics. If you want
to know what faux pas to avoid when you’re
talking to a mixed race person, what it means to
be a bad feminist, or why some women talk like
Kim Kardashian, then Marina’s insightful videos
are for you. Watch and learn the things that
school doesn’t teach you.
Hannah Witton
Hannah’s channel is a lovely mixture of advice,
comedy and tag videos featuring other
YouTubers and sometimes even a celebrity
or two if you’re lucky. While she is happy to
give advice on pretty much everything, she’s
especially interested in talking about sex and
relationships, and has made videos guiding
you through the topics of pornography,
contraception and sexual experimentation all
from her very sensible (but never boring!) point
of view.
Jenna Marbles
Another career-vlogger with a massive following
is Jenna Marbles, a US-based YouTuber who
predominately makes comedy vlogs with the
help of her cute puppy pals, Mr. Marbles and
Kermit. She mostly vlogs about the funny
differences between girls and boys, does
makeup tutorials, and tests her audience with
hilarious how-to videos. Where else are you
going to see Miley Cyrus carve a pumpkin? Her
personality resembles a foul-mouthed toddler
on a sugar rush, who doesn’t shy away from
getting drunk on camera if it’ll look funny.
20
YouTube royalty 2015 Introducing YouTube
Sazclose
YouTube is becoming the first platform for many
budding musicians and singers, and Sarah Close
is one of them. Sarah has the sweetest voice,
and if you ask nicely enough, she might even
sing a song that you request. Ah, the power
of YouTube. While breaking into music is still
harder than ever, Sarah is doing a fantastic job
of staying professional and showing off her
exceptional voice online. We think it won’t be
long till we see her at the top of the charts. Give
her a listen, if only to say you were a fan before
she got big.
Smosh
In internet terms, Smosh have been around for
a long time. Their take on the Pokémon theme
song held the most watched video spot for six
months back in 2005 and since then, they’ve
been one of the most popular channels ever.
They also have a separate channel for all their
gaming shenanigans where you can see your
favourite characters rap battle and more. Their
annual Food Battle, where the two pitch their
favourite foods against each other in a hilarious
way, is a must-see.
Superfruit
Superfruit is a YouTube channel by Mitch and
Scott, two American vloggers with a penchant
for a cappella singing and vlogging about
whatever they feel like. A strange combination?
Not if you’re as open-minded as these guys are
– they talk about everything, from the glorious
reign of Beyonce to Spongebob Squarepants.
If you need an ounce of good vibes, Superfruit
should be your first stop. If you like what
you see, go on to enjoy their music group
Pentatonix, where they are joined by friends
Kirstie, Avi and Kevin to make a cappella magic.
21
Introducing YouTube Mippey5
23
Introducing YouTube The ‘You’ in YouTube
The ‘You’ in
the crowd – but getting some inspiration
from established YouTubers can help
YouTube
Take a look at these types of YouTuber to see where
you might fit in
25
Getting started Becoming a vlogger
26
Becoming a vlogger Getting started
How
to get
started
So, you want to be a vlogger? Here’s
how to get started filming and
editing, and become a part of the
YouTube community
Filming your first vlog and putting it online
may seem daunting to begin with. After all, you
might feel slightly silly turning on your camera
or webcam for the first time and talking to
yourself. Posting your own unedited ramblings
sand staring at the viewcount while your mum
clicks refresh in the next room isn’t exactly
motivating either.
That’s why before you start posting you need
to learn a few skills to help you on the way, from
developing a clear idea about what kind of
channel you want to create, to the ability to write a
good script and shot list. Step-by-step tutorials will
guide you through everything you need to know
to get up and going with your vlog. A good video
requires preparation as well as a good idea of
what kind of message you want your channel and
videos to convey.
Once you master the basics, you’ll soon forget
all of your initial worries. And don’t forget, the most
important part is to have fun!
27
Getting started Introducing YouTube
Your channel is what connects everything you do on YouTube, and is the first step for any new video
maker looking to publish their work. It showcases your uploads, playlists and interactions via an activity
feed. Customising it is important, but can be a little confusing. While logged in, your channel appears
differently for you than for other users. It also appears differently to those subscribed to you than those
who are visiting for the first time. Take this into consideration when working on your layout.
YouTube is constantly evolving. The layout of the website, including your channel, is subject to
frequent revisions and updates. YouTube’s development team are constantly tweaking and improving
the site, and it can sometimes undergo several large changes in a matter of months. This guide provides
simple, universal steps to setting up your channel.
28
Introducing YouTube Getting started
06 You now have access to a lot of options for your ‘Home’ tab. Use the ‘Add
a section’ button at the bottom of the page to create sections, or ‘shelves’,
for your channel. Each one can display different uploads or playlists, and once
have friends already using YouTube,
or favourite channels that inspire you,
add them to your channel by hovering
saved can be edited or moved around using the ‘edit’ buttons that appear in the over that section and clicking the grey
top-right corner when you hover over them. ‘edit’ button.
29
Getting started Introducing YouTube
Develop your
Energy and enthusiasm Whatever tech you
have access to, developing an entertaining
channel is about enthusiasm
channel
How to build your online presence, target an
audience and create a successful vlog
If you want to be a successful vlogger you need to lay the
foundations first. Quality content and consistency is the secret to
longevity online, so put plenty of time into the planning stage.
With thousands of vlogs and channels online, you’re going to be
up against some stiff competition, but provided you’re motivated,
it’s perfectly possible to gain recognition and build a solid following.
In this feature we’ll help you get started, as we offer practical
advice on developing a concept, appealing to your target audience,
Positive results With the right attitude and building a successful brand and ensuring regular viewers. So follow
motivation, you will soon build a successful
vlog and strong online presence along and find out how to make your vlog a viral success.
30
Introducing YouTube Getting started
If you’re serious about making your vlog a success then you will
need to put a great deal of thought and planning into it before you Introduce yourself For your first
start filming. Focusing on a subject that you’re passionate about will vlog, create an introduction video
that works like an about page.
not only help you to create great content, it will also motivate you to
It should give your audience an
keep at it. insight into you, your interests and
Brainstorm a few creative ideas initially and try to stick to one why you started vlogging.
subject. Whether it’s beauty, reviews or simply an advice vlog,
this will help give you some direction and enable you to narrow
down a target audience, which will likely prove to be particularly
important when it comes to successfully marketing your channel
later on.
Do your research
Be passionate Stick to vlogging
about your passions and no
doubt you’ll find it easier to come
up with new and creative vlog
ideas, stay motivated and interact
with your audience.
Be yourself
You need to be confident in front of the camera and let your
personality shine through when you’re presenting. Be genuine,
positive and even a little light-hearted or humorous to keep things
entertaining, especially if you’re tackling a serious subject in your
vlog. Practicing in front of the mirror, or even the camera itself,
Think SEO Ensure your video can help you get to grips with public speaking.
appears first in a search browser Try not to be too critical of yourself; remember that not everyone
result by giving it a relevant is going to like who you are or what you have say, but that shouldn’t
and descriptive title. You’ll be
guaranteed more views if it hits put you off posting. Provided you’re creating engaging, quality
the top spot. content, you’ll soon start to build a regular and interested audience.
32
Introducing YouTube Getting started
Create a community
Connecting with your audience via the comments section
on your channel or through social media is important if you
want to build up a regular viewership and a strong online
community. Never forget to interact with your fans by starting
discussions, asking questions and even responding to some
requests in your next video, as it’s a great way to guarantee that
viewers will return to watch, as well as also being a fantastic way
of generating new vlog ideas that you know your audience will be
interested in.
Engaging with viewers will make them feel valued and a part
of the channel, so always make sure to encourage conversation.
By building a stronger online community, you will soon find
the amount of subscribers to your channel increasing on a Online community Build a strong online
community by interacting with your viewers in
regular basis. the comments section and your next vlog
33
Getting started How to present yourself
How to
present yourself
Follow our practical advice on bringing your channel to life and ensuring your
personality shines through
Speak clearly
It’s easy to ramble when you’re nervous but it
will be hard for the viewer to really understand
and hear what you’re saying if you don’t speak
clearly. Take a deep breath before you begin
recording and remember to enunciate words
and speak clearly into the microphone at a
good, even pace. A script or a plan will also help
you organise your words and speak clearly.
37
Getting started Write a script
Write a script
Scripting An essential in filmmaking,
writing a script can be the most useful part
of planning a more complex YouTube video
Write an outline of your story, including Format Now start typing Action,
Character and Dialogue. When
a list of characters and locations, before you press Enter, CeltX predicts
writing the script the format you need. Or you can
manually hit the Tab key or use
the menu in the toolbar.
39
Getting started Planning your shots
Planning
The shot list Another traditional tool in
the filmmaker’s production kit is a shot list,
which can take many forms
your shots
Christopher Bingham takes you through how a shot
list helps plan your vlogs
Like the script, a shot list is used to clearly and efficiently
communicate what will happen in your video. It can also be used
as a memory aid during production, to make sure you don’t miss
anything. Unlike a script, which deals exclusively with the actions,
setting and dialogue of a scene, a shot list describes the movement,
placement and behaviour of the camera. The structure of a shot list
is also more informal than a script, and can come in many varieties.
Getting all
the details…
41
YouTube production Produce great videos
Produce great
videos
The production process for vlogs can be
One of the most important parts of
making a video is the process of creation
That’s not all; you can learn from the best by
as advanced or as simple as you make it. reading how Christopher Bingham (aka slomozovo)
You can use the webcam built into your makes a YouTube video in his personal opening
laptop and use iMovie or Windows Movie feature, taking you through his filming process
Maker to cut out the parts where your and explaining his preferences when it comes to
housemate walked into your room or you production and editing.
had to think for a minute about what it was
you were hoping to say. You might want
to use an advanced camera, microphone
and lighting gear film an technically brilliant
short film and add special effects in Final
Cut Pro. In the end, it’s all about the video
you want to make, and in this section, we
will teach you exactly how to make it in
our detailed tutorials.
42
Produce great videos YouTube production
43
YouTube production Vlogging with Bing
Vlogging
Christopher ‘Bing’ Bingham Bing shoots a
video for his vlog channel, Bingradio
with Bing
Christopher Bingham, a veteran YouTuber, has been
making videos for almost a decade
Christopher is not afraid to try new things. With a background
in film making, he started making videos as a teenager. His first
channel on YouTube became a home for sketch comedy, short films
and the occasional music video. When he decided to start vlogging,
he wanted to do it on a bigger scale than most. He is well known
for his huge, experimental vlog project Past Bing / Future Bing,
although nowadays he prefers to keep things simple.
my first channel, slomozovo, I have always tried to find a balance Behind the camera
between something modern, or weird, and something traditional. with Bingradio
What particularly fascinates me is how simple, classical framing can
often be the most powerful. Of course, when you film your life on
the go, sometimes you can’t avoid losing a few of those things.
45
YouTube production How to properly plan a video
How to properly
Preparation is key Remember that the
minutes you spend preparing your video
before you shoot will ultimately save you
hours in post-production
plan a video
How you prepare for your vlog will determine if you
fall flat or go viral, here’s how to cover all bases
Before you cry ‘lights, camera, action’ it’s a good idea to consider
everything that goes into creating a successful vlog before hitting
record. Vloggers can’t get away with merely reciting a few lines to
camera anymore, far from it. Dynamic and engaging vlogs, the ones
you can’t wait to share with your friends, are captured in appropriate
locations or with thought-out set designs that have been styled
to reinforce the host, the brand and the channel. The presenter is
dressed a certain way deliberately, the creator has the right kit and
knows how to use it correctly, and it’s all been filmed with the right
Don’t rush The best vlogs are ones that have light. Preparation really is key and so we’ve put together all you need
been prepared and considered, rather than
filmed off the cuff and uploaded in a hurry to know to get yourself, your kit and your set ready for show time.
46
How to properly plan a video YouTube production
Marvellous microphones
Your camera or computer may have Light that defines If you’re
a microphone and so far it’s done a shooting indoors and want
light that picks out every detail
satisfactory job of capturing sound.
and movement of what you’re
The only problem with these types demonstrating, studio lights are
of mics is that they have a tendency the way to go (see page 56).
not to discriminate and absorb
all sounds around you, including
unwanted background noise. If you’re a singer, performer or simply
want clean, rich audio, it really is worthwhile investing in a superior
sound set up, giving your video more of professional edge. The
good news is microphones don’t cost the earth, and you can easily
pick up a studio-quality one for under £100 these days. You’ll want
to make sure yours has USB connectivity and offers plug-and-play,
which essentially means you can just pop it into your computer’s Outdoor light Overcast days
mic jack and away you go, no need to install drivers and software. provide even light, whereas sunny
ones will create shadows on your
If you can find one that picks out various sounds then this will save
face, so shoot in the shade. When
masses of time in editing and if you film on location regularly, look the light levels drop bump up the
for one that’s light and small. ISO or use a tripod.
47
YouTube production How to properly plan a video
A safe bet Bedrooms may be Out and about If you want to Make it relevant If your vlog
a cliché background for many film outdoors, aim for somewhere is genre specific, pick a location
YouTube videos, but they’re safe quiet or shoot at less busy times, relevant to your content. Culinary
and simple. Just make sure the such as first thing in the morning. vlogs are best in a kitchen and
background is distraction free. There’s also always your garden! cycling vlogs are best outside.
48
How to properly plan a video YouTube production
49
YouTube production Cameras
Cameras
Upgrade Make your vlogs a little less amateur
and a little more amazing by upgrading the
technology you use to record your visuals
A bad builder blames his tools, so a good vlogger should know that
a webcam can only take you so far. If you want to take your work to
the next level you really ought to be using a camcorder or camera
that records your visuals at least 1080p, this is perfect for capturing
highly-detailed footage but won’t kill your computer when you
upload. The next step up is 4K cinematic quality resolution, perhaps
a little unnecessary for enthusiasts, but certainly worth investing in
if you have the ambition to take your work to a professional level.
Consider the lens that the camera has too; a wide ranging focal
length will deliver more flexibility and you’ll certainly want one that
offers wide angle shooting especially if you deliver your vlog from
the confines of a small room. Portability and Wi-Fi will be a factor for
List Write a list of all your vlogging vloggers on the go, as will durability for action-hunters, and audio
visual needs, and then use a process of
elimination to find ‘the one’ performance for musicians. It’s an extremely confusing decision.
50
Cameras YouTube production
Nikon 1 J5 (£350/$500)
Forget big and bulky DSLRs, CSCs are the way
forward for vloggers, they’re far more portable
and user-friendly. CSCs look like compacts, but
allow users to switch lenses, in the same way
you can with a DSLR. One great example of a
CSC that’s perfect for vlogging is the Nikon 1
J5. Competitively priced this stylish shooter sells
us on its cinematic quality 4K video resolution,
ability to the freeze the action at 20fps with
Continuous AF in Sports mode, Time-lapse and
HD slow-motion sequence options.
Microphone
Your mic Whether recording vocals,
conducting interviews or just plain talking;
a standalone mic can help your vlog stand
out from the crowd
Visuals are only half the story; to fully engage with your audience
you’ll to need to communicate with audio, unless of course your
vlog is entirely mime based.
It’s not only musicians who need a reliable, high quality
microphone to record their vocals, sites like YouTube are a great
platform for performers and presenters of all varieties to show
off their talent and kickstart their career. Getting to grips with
producing a stronger sound quality now, will really help you in the
long run. Starting out with your computer’s built-in mic is absolutely
fine, but sooner or later you’re going to get frustrated with its
limitations and subpar sound quality capture. When that happens
it’s time to invest in a standalone mic, and with so many vlogging-
Getting serious If you’re serious about dedicated products out there, you’re sure to find one that fits
vlogging, a standalone mic with dedicated
audio software is essential perfectly with your genre and skill level, as well as your finances.
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Microphone YouTube production
Lighting, set
Must-have kit It’s time to split the pros from
the amateurs, if you want to take your vlog
up a gear, here’s the kit you’ll need to do it
and accessories
Find out what lights and accessories the pros use to
get the most out of their sets
Computer
If you’re filming using
your computer or
laptop to record your
broadcast, set it on a
desk in front of you
and use books or
boxes to raise it to
head height. Avoid
pointing the webcam
up at you as this is
the most unflattering
angle possible
Camera
If you’re using a camera,
secure it to a tripod so it’s
level with your face. Flip
the LCD to face you so you
can keep one eye on your
composition, check what’s
in shot as well as your overall
progress as you complete
your vlog
Microphone
For those with a standalone microphone,
plug this into the camera or computer and
ensure the head is pointing in your direction.
Check the levels pre-shoot, making sure
you deliver the test vocals from the same
distance you plan to record from
58
Lighting, set and accessories YouTube production
Chair
If you’re not comfortable
your audience won’t be
either. Use a chair that
provides comfort but isn’t
so unique or strange that it
distracts from what you’re
doing. Position yourself
about half a metre from your
camera and microphone
59
YouTube production Software for beginners
Software for
Video editing It’s not just for pros; every
vlogger, regardless of budget and ability,
can practice the art of movie creation
beginners
There are dozens of editing suites on the market; we
explore a handful of the biggest and best
iMovie
iMovie is Apple’s beginner to novice movie-
making package. Keeping with the brand’s ethos
for simplicity meets style, the app offers easy
navigation with drag and drop functionality. Two
ways it excels is that it provides speed controls, to
let you rev up or slow down action, and green-
screen style effects so you can superimpose
yourself over photos and video backgrounds.
The enhancement controls are far beyond those
of its Windows rival, and now users can even
match the colour of clips to ensure continuity.
Getting started
Develop skills Getting to grips with movie
making software might seem daunting but
with a few skills you’ll soon be editing like
a professional
with software
If you’re an editing newbie then check out this easy
tutorial on using Windows Movie Maker
So you’ve just started out making vlogs and you want to know
how to edit it. If you’ve not used any movie editing software before
it’s probably a good idea to begin with your computer’s native
package, so Movie Maker for Windows users and iMovie for those
with Macs. Not only will this save you splashing out on other costly
programs, but it gives you a free, easy-to-use training ground that
allows you to get to grips with the basic rules and tools of editing,
which you can then transfer to more complicated apps when you
have developed a feel for the editing process. You may find that you
Movie Maker Master the fundamentals of will quickly outgrow the simplicity of you computer’s movie maker
Movie Maker with this tutorial and transfer
the same principles to iMovie and that it is restricting your creative abilities and vision.
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Getting started with software YouTube production
split a clip into two, place the play head at the appropriate point
and hit Split. You can then move these pieces separately or delete
the one you no longer want.
Animations
The Animations tab holds dozens of effects that basically segue
from one clip to the next. Some animations can be painfully cheesy
but some can be quite creative, especially if you’ve got a lot of high Visual effects The Visual Effects
tab stocks a range of filters for you
action clips following back to back, in a sort of montage style. Select to add to your clips, like Posterize.
a clip and select an animation; the app will show you a preview. To
get rid of it either opt for another or choose to got for No Transition.
63
YouTube production Software for intermediates
Software for
Final Cut Pro X This fantastic program
enables you to customise the colours and
tones of your footage and add effects
intermediates
Develop your video skills and improve your
production values with these editing apps
Camtasia 2
If you vlog about software or gaming, you’ll
want to show your vlog’s viewers the high
quality footage of your computer’s display.
Camtasia is a screen capture app, so it will
record your on-screen activities. This lets your
vlog’s viewers see what you see when you sit
at your Mac or PC. Camtasia also enables you to
cut, trim, and re-arrange your screen captured
clips in its Timeline, and render out the edited
footage as a finished programme. You can add
transitions to your clips and drop in a voice-over.
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YouTube production Grade your footage
Grade your
Creative effects Add creative colours,
contrasting tones and filmic effects such as
vignetted edges to your vlog footage
footage
Add creative colours, contrasting tones and
filmic effects such as vignetted edges to your
vlog footage
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Grade your footage YouTube production
Increase contrast
You can lighten or darken the
Cut the clip Use the Trim>Blade
shadows, midtones or highlights of command to isolate the part you
the clip independently. There are want to speed up or slow down.
three control points that overlap a
horizontal line. Drag them above
the line to lighten tones, or below
to darken. The edited clip’s stronger contrast give the subject more
impact. You can also make global adjustments if necessary.
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YouTube production Advanced software
Advanced
Movement Add movement to still images
to add extra texture and variety to your
vlogs, courtesy of the Ken Burns effect
software
Enhance your vlog projects’ production values with
these apps and their advanced editing tools
Premiere Pro CC
Adobe Premiere Pro lets you take more control
over special effects, such as using key frames
to animate the size and position of photos. As
part of Adobe’s Creative Cloud suite of apps,
Premiere Pro CC links with apps like Adobe
Photoshop CC, so you can import layered PSD
documents and work with individual layers in
Premiere Pro CC. It also enables you to import
GoPro-sourced files, so you can colour-correct,
edit and share them with more control than
you’d get using the free GoPro Studio app.
Speed Grade CC
Grading is such an important part of post-
production that Adobe has produced an app
that’s dedicated to this task: Speed Grade CC.
It enables you to work with footage that’s
been produced by a non-linear video editor
like Premiere Pro CC. You can use it to adjust a
clip’s colours and tones in more advanced ways
thanks to the presence of masks. Masks enable
you to isolate and adjust colour and lighting.
You can also drag and drop preset grade effects,
thus mimicking looks like those in film cameras.
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YouTube production Combine movies and stills
Combine
Camera moves Add camera moves to make
photos become more dynamic and freeze
frames of video to create stills
movies
and stills
Add texture and variety to your productions by
mixing photos with video in creative ways
You probably use the same gadget to capture material for your
vlogs. This means you may end up with a large collection of video
clips and photographs that document a particular activity. You may
tend to ignore the still photos in favour of the moving footage, but
the still image can be a valuable asset. In this Final Cut Pro X tutorial
we’ll show you how to make your stills look more interesting by
Browse and import Final Cut Pro X works adding digital camera moves to them, so you can zoom and pan to
in tandem with Photos, so you can easily
browse and import photos into your projects particular points.
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Combine movies and stills YouTube production
71
YouTube production Special effects software
Special effects
Layers Combine layers of video clips in
creative ways to illustrate your Vlogs,
courtesy of chroma-key effects
software
Use creative and eye-catching special effects to
draw attention to your vlog
After Effects CC
If you’re familiar with Photoshop then you
should take to After Effects, as it enables you to
work with video in layers. Indeed, you can use
After Effects CC’s various chroma key or luma
key effects to mix video layers together and
fine-tune the edge of the composited subject in
a similar way to Photoshop’s Refine Edge tools.
After Effects is designed to work on individual
shots rather than entire sequences, so you’ll
need to use Premiere Pro to drop your After
Effects CC special effects clips into your vlog.
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YouTube production Add a new background
Add a new
Blue or green Replace a blue (or green)
background with video footage to add
texture and variety
background
Replace a bland background with colourful video
clips to illustrate your vlog
transparent, drag Fill Holes to the right. Use Sample Color to sample
and hide any bits of blue background that appear.
75
YouTube production Have some fun
Terrific time-lapse
Gadgets such as the GoPro Hero 4 Silver
can shoot a series of stills that you can play
back at high speed. The free GoPro Studio
software can stitch the stills into a high-speed
movie that will add texture and variety to
your vlog. You can even capture a panning
shot of the time-lapse action, if you so desire,
by using a clockwork tripod, such as the
MUVI X-Lapse.
Animated maps
If your vlog covers a trip abroad at any point
then a fun way to illustrate your adventure’s
progress may be to add an animated map.
In iMovie, go to the Maps & Backgrounds
Library and browse through the various map
animations that exist. Drag a map to the
Timeline, search for your trip’s start and end
point, and iMovie will animate a red line moving
from A to B.
Split screen
Give your vlog’s fans even more of you by
featuring a digital double in your footage!
In order to achieve this feat, lock the camera
on a tripod, film yourself in the left half of
the frame, then film yourself interacting
with your clone on the right. After this,
use a Graduated Mask effect to blend the
two clips together into one split-screen
image. This cool and fun technique is as old
as cinema itself.
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Have some fun YouTube production
Picture in Picture
The Picture in Picture overlay is perfect for
creating slick title sequences, or alternatively
for enhancing dramas by showing the action
unfolding from different camera angles. You
can make images slide in or out of the screen
and adjust their speed, or play one image in
a box while the other fills the frame. These
simultaneous shots help hold the attention of
your audience.
Preset effects
Many editing apps have a collection of one-
click preset effects that enable you to creatively
change a clip’s colours in tones. iMovie has 20
effects that produce a range of looks, from
scratchy old film to a ‘day-to-night’ look. These
effect presets prove to represent some great
ways of adding texture and variety to your
Vlogs. Final Cut Pro X alone boasts 122 video
effect presets.
Motion tracking
Motion-tracking tools enable you to attach
a graphic to a moving object. As the object
moves, the graphic sticks to it like glue. This
is a fun way of adding captions to people or
objects. To do this, go to Tools, and choose
Motion Tracking. Draw a rectangle around
your target and let the software track it
automatically. You can then drag a graphic
into the tracking box.
Uploading
Get online Whether you’re using YouTube or
another vlogging site, we show you how to
get your film online and make it stand out
your video
With your vlog edited to perfection, it’s time to
share it with the world
Added stabilisation
Getting started to your videos
Either click on the giant arrow and find the video you want to use,
or drag and drop it directly onto this frame. Select whether you
want the video to be public, unlisted (no one but you can see it) or
private (invite specific friends, family or colleagues to view it).
Add a description
Uploading your video can take
Getting started If you have
several minutes depending on the some shaky shots, YouTube can
length and resolution. While you make them look smoother.
wait, use the time to fill in the title
and description boxes. Try to work
in all the relevant key words and
use terminology your audience would understand.
Drag and drop the one you like best onto the image box at the top
– it will act as a gateway image to entice people into watching.
79
YouTube promotion Promoting your channel
80
Promoting your channel YouTube promotion
Promoting
your channel
Once you’ve planned and produced
your first video, you need to get it out
there and watched by the world
81
YouTube promotion Channel your awesome
Your channel is the first thing your viewers will see when they click on your username. Making it as
user-friendly as possible will make your content pop and make sure that all the cool stuff you’ve made
will get the attention it deserves. If your channel is well laid out and easy to navigate, viewers will bop
from one video to the next, and will be able to see easily what they’d most like to watch. Less well-
organised channels will make it hard for your viewers to understand what you like vlogging about. If
your viewers can’t get a feel for your channel straight away, they’re likely to just leave to see what’s going
on elsewhere on YouTube. We don’t want that to happen! See below for tips and tricks on how to make
your channel the biggest, brightest and best it can be. Treat you channel as you would your website
homepage, or approach it like you would approach your video’s introduction. Think like you have just a
few seconds to catch the viewers attention, inform them and draw them in.
82
Channel your awesome YouTube promotion
Channel trailer
The first video that autoplays on your page is the channel trailer. Featured channels run down
It’s not essential to have one but it really helps your viewers get a the right-hand side of your page.
feel for your channel and can be really useful when you’re trying to They show support for other
YouTubers (maybe they’ll feature
explain to other people what you like to vlog about. Your channel you back?). Similar vlogs can
trailer should to sum up your whole channel. It can be as simple complement your channel too.
as your favourite video, or the one that has the most hits. If you
do want to get a bit fancier about channel trailers, take your lead
from big YouTubers. PewDiePie uses an edit of all his most recent
and most hilarious adventures in order to create a montage of the
kind of stuff you can expect from him. Uber-vlogger, professional
makeup artist and all-round beauty queen Lisa Eldridge has got a
channel trailer of her in action
behind the scenes of fashion
shoots and catwalks. Do Username This is an easy win.
something similar if you’re into Putting what your channel is
beauty, fashion, or even music about in your username (like
bubzbeauty or annoyingorange
– anything where you have a have) can point your viewers to
skill to show off. your channel in an instant.
83
YouTube promotion Channel your awesome
Keep it concise no-one wants Start with a bang start out your Keep a surprise till the end if
to watch a three-hour long epic video with energy – if you get you’re promoting something like
about a toothpaste you love. your viewer hooked in the first a giveaway, don’t give away the
Edit, edit and edit some more – fifteen seconds, they’ll definitely details at the very beginning! Be
people love bitesize content. be watching till the end. evil: make your viewers wait.
84
Channel your awesome YouTube promotion
85
YouTube promotion Talking YouTube
Talking YouTube
Getting chatting with the YouTube community
can be a bit scary at first. Don’t worry though –
here are our top tips on how to be a commenting
king or queen
87
YouTube promotion Using social media
It’s more than likely that you’re all over social media yourself – there are 936 million daily users of
Facebook out there after all, and user numbers on Twitter, Instagram, Vine, Tumblr and Reddit aren’t
far behind. While promoting yourself on YouTube is a great idea, social media is also crucial to get your
content in front of new audiences. The subscription box on YouTube is okay, but it can be faulty, and it
doesn’t convey the personality that social media streams can. Just look at any of the biggest YouTubers:
most of them have accounts on social media they use to send out their videos multiple times a day.
Think about the kind of content you’re making though – it might be worth sticking to three streams
than trying to tackle them all at once. You can experiment with different ones and see which ones work
for you. Check out the next few pages for an overview of each stream, and read on to learn how you
can make social media work for you.
88
Using social media YouTube promotion
89
YouTube promotion Fun with Facebook
Fun with
Promote yourself Facebook is the biggest
social media network – ensure you know
how to use it to promote yourself or you
could be missing out
Facebook
Get your channel out there on Facebook by using
fan pages and more
Facebook is the biggest of all the social media sites, so it’s well
worth setting up a page on there so viewers can track your
vlogging adventures. It has a number of navigational functions
that can get a lot of information over to your viewers. All of these
are fully customisable, so if you have a better idea than the default
‘about’ page, you can go ahead and change it. Another way
Facebook is great is that it’s easy to see what is going on – you can
comment, ‘like’ or share to your own page with ease. Getting your
family and friends on board to boost your numbers isn’t a bad idea.
Comments and likes Facebook is a great Another way of gaining followers is doing a shout-out on YouTube
way to keep in touch with fans, see what
they are liking and suggestions they make and leaving the link to your Facebook in the description box.
90
Fun with Facebook YouTube promotion
Super sharing
If your priority is gaining followers then it’s
important to keep an eye on what goes down
well with your audience so you can keep
posting the same kind of things. That said, you
can be as bold and creative as you like – it’s just
nice to know what your audience appreciates.
If you find that a post is doing particularly well,
you could think about posting it to other social
media streams too to see how well it does there.
Don’t do this too often, however – people need
a reason to follow you on all your streams.
Making friends
Getting friendly with other vloggers on
Facebook is a good idea. They can help
you with all sorts – sharing your videos,
recommending you to their friends and being
there when you need advice Other groups
worth joining are online magazines dedicated
to vloggers (like TenEighty Magazine), events
(Summer in the City) and bloggers and vloggers
groups. Some of these vloggers groups are
‘closed’ to the public, but that is usually only a
precaution against spam accounts, so join away!
91
YouTube promotion Top tweeting
Top tweeting
Did you know? The Twitter bird is called
Larry? Twitter is the perfect place to get
chirping about your YouTube channel
Hashtags
Hashtags (words with ‘#’ in front of them)
are easily searchable phrases that Twitter
automatically picks up and turns into a hyperlink
for you to click. This can be used to flick through
users and tweets that relate to the hashtag, or
combine all the tweets about the hashtag in
one place. If the hashtag proves popular, it will
become a trending topic, and be even more
visible to users. Twitter trends have become
such good indicators of public opinion that they
often turn up in the mainstream media now.
Instagram
Image-heavy Instagram and Vine
reward creativity, comedy and above all,
personality. Use them to show the world
how you see things
& Vine
Both Instagram and Vine can be hard nuts to crack,
but with consistent quality content, you’ll soon be at
the be top of your game
Jessi Smiles
Jessi proves that you don’t need amazing
equipment or even any other people to make
great Vines – she’s a master at playing different
characters. She always posts things that other
people can relate to, be that fancying the guy
at her local coffee shop, dancing to Beyonce, or
not being able to beatbox. If someone thinks
‘Oh my god, that’s so me!’ when they see your
Vine, they’re far more likely to share it. She’s also
on YouTube, and encourages her followers to
visit her there too.
Jerome Jarre
Jerome has gained over a billion loops of his
Vines since January 2013. He also has a massive
following on Snapchat, another social media
platform. His positive attitude and signature
grin are never boring to watch – a great tip
when it comes to any social media platform. He
collaborates with other viners too: his Vine with
singer-songwriter Kenzie Nimmo has nearly 22
million loops. If you can find someone near you
that’s up for collaborating on a Vine, it could be
a great way to boost both your followings.
Trench
Here’s one that shows how much Vine is about
good ideas rather than being the best-looking
or doing the craziest stunts – although it does
take advantage of Vine’s soft spot for a cute
animal. Talented Trench and his dog Maple
play popular songs together on a variety of
instruments, and yes, that does mean that
Maple plays the instruments too. Trench also
uses his own music for the backing track or to
soundtrack Maple’s adventures. You never see
any part of Trench apart from his hands.
95
YouTube promotion Tumblr & Reddit
Tumblr &
Go viral Tumblr and Reddit welcome
all kinds of kooky content – and they
especially love anything video-based.
Maybe yours will be next to go viral?
Reddit
Reddit and Tumblr social platforms are more niche-
based than their larger counterparts, so unique, bold
and striking content really goes down well
Tumblr is similar to Twitter in that it’s like a mini-blog. You can share
whatever you like, and most things are embeddable, including
YouTube. Reddit is very different – there’s no real personal timeline,
so it’s hard to have a personality on there, but it does have a massive
audience. While Tumblr keeps everything in one timeline, Reddit’s
interface means that everything is shoved in together on one big
feed, and is very ‘blink and you’ll miss it’, so an eye-catching headline
is of utmost importance. Remember to put a snappy heading on
Get noticed Getting your content noticed
on massive sites like Reddit and Tumblr can your video so people know what they’re clicking on. It’s not going
seem impossible. Follow our tips and you’ll
fit in in no time to be as enticing if you put something vague.
96
Tumblr & Reddit YouTube promotion
Consistency is key
If you’re going to post your videos on these
channels, make sure you do it every time, or
people will lose interest and stop following you.
On Tumblr, a good use of the time you take
between videos might be to show some ‘work-
in-progress’ pictures of your camera setup or a
vlogging brainstorm. Tumblr also has a handy
‘ask’ function that you could use to source
vlog ideas from your audience. Like Instagram,
Tumblr is very visual, so use pictures wherever
you can.
Beware of trolls
Because these social media platforms don’t
require any ‘real-life’ information from you, they
can be a hotbed for trolls and mean comments.
Remember that the problem is with them, not
you. Don’t engage them; they would love to
argue with you. You have better things to do.
When people give real, helpful advice, then
by all means thank them and tell them you’ve
taken what they’ve said on board – but if the
comment is shallow then it’s more harm than
good. Ignore, block or report the user.
97
YouTube promotion Get streaming
Get streaming
Live streaming has been made so simple by YouTube and it’s a great way to
interact with viewers
Live streaming is a part of YouTube that is often overlooked by users, but it has a collective of hardcore
fans. Instead of watching pre-recorded and edited content, live streaming is all completely in the
moment. All kinds of vlogs can benefit from holding live events. People love being able to contact who
they’re watching (which you can do on YouTube live streams thanks to a constant chat box), and there’s
a sense of excitement around a live event that is hard to replicate. Q&A videos work really well on live
streams, as do live gaming streams. Find out how to do your own below.
Ideas Even though a lot of what Tech stuff A proper connection Get promoting Let people know
you’re talking about might be off is non-negotiable – your viewers you’re excited about your live
the cuff, you should definitely go will be expecting to be able to stream, and they’ll be excited
in with an idea of what you want see and hear what you’re doing about it too. Draw your audience
to talk about. properly. Test beforehand. in via social media.
98
Get streaming YouTube promotion
Getting started
Before you start, you must enable live events
under the channel heading on your Account
Features page in Creator Studio. Once you’ve
done this, you’ll be asked to fill out some basic
information about your live stream, including
the time you’d like the stream to start and
finish, and the category your vlog comes
under. If you’re just testing your connection or
something else that you don’t want an audience
to see, you can set your stream to ‘unlisted’ or
‘private’ at this point.
Hang out
If you’d like to do a hangout (a live stream that
just uses your webcam), then you should go
for that option now. Alternatively, if you have
something else that you would like to stream
from, go for ‘custom’. If you choose to
do a hangout then you can use Google’s
hangout feature to get started. You can make
this private for you and friends, or make it public
for anyone to watch. If you want to get fancy,
you can even have a custom trailer ready for
your live stream.
What’s next
The best thing about live streams is they’re
interactive, so you can get feedback in real-time.
This makes testing out new things super easy –
if it doesn’t go down too well, then you haven’t
wasted too much time on it. You can also talk
to your viewers on an online chat screen. If you
get any unwanted troll invaders, kick them out.
When you’re finished, the video will be saved
to your YouTube page. Anyone who visits your
channel will now be able to see it, along with
any more streams you decide to create.
99
YouTube promotion Be a podcast pro
Be a podcast pro
While some people love to stick to the screen only, podcasts are also an
awesome way to reach another audience
Podcasts are downloadable audio content that people most commonly listen to in their own time on
portable music players. Easily downloaded to smartphones and computers, podcasts come in all shapes
and sizes. Some people like short and snappy ones, while others like to get involved in a lengthy edition.
Scroobius Pip, for example, has a popular weekly music podcast that averages at around an hour and
a half’s worth of talk and music. Read on to obtain the knowledge that’ll make you a part of a fast-
growing and cutting-edge crowd of content-makers.
Grab your audio Use a Edit, and then edit some more Upload and share Put your
recording device to capture your Try Audacity for podcast editing sound file on a platform like
sounds. You can use a Tascam, – we love the simple interface. All Soundcloud. It will give you all
a mic built into your camera, or the same rules apply for podcasts the social sharing options you
even your smartphone. as vlogs: concise is best. need automatically.
100
Be a podcast pro YouTube promotion
Live events
Community The YouTube community
aren’t just individuals separated by screens.
Thousands attend live events, exhibitions
and gatherings around the world
103
YouTube promotion VidCon
VidCon
VidCon VidCon is the largest annual
gathering of online video creators, viewers,
performers and entrepreneurs in the world
105
YouTube promotion The Streamys
The Streamys
Unique The Streamy Awards are the first of
their kind to be streamed online so you can
watch at home from around the globe
The Streamy Awards are the world’s first awards to recognise the
best online video makers from across the world. Whether you had
a hand in writing, directing or producing a film that really stood out
from the millions of online videos out there, or you had the starring
role, you could be picking up an award at what are affectionately
called the Streamys. Established in 2009 and held in star-studded
Los Angeles, California, the awards have proved more than popular,
and now there are more than 30 categories that make up the web-
streamed event. The Streamy Awards are the first streamed award
show that have the famous envelope openings, so you can watch
at home and join in with the excitement from your living-room (or
bedroom, or bathroom… anywhere with internet!) Keep an eye on
Celebrity central All the biggest vloggers www.streamys.org to follow the next ceremony, and remember to
head to this dazzling event in LA, including
the dashing Joey Graceffa tweet support for your favourites!
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The Streamys YouTube promotion
Team up
Hosting a vlog isn’t the only way to get into vlogging – you can
be obsessed with any part of the process and still find your way
on YouTube (or even the Streamys). What you will need, however,
is a bit of a team. To get some mates together to make a film,
you can ask your pals if they fancy turning their hand to a bit of
hands-on learning. You might be surprised – one of your pals Lindsay Stirling Won the Best
Choreography award in 2013, and
could be a closet vlogger just like you! Think about who you need
Best Musical Act in 2014.
for the film you have in mind. Sometimes, however, too many hands
on deck can be more trouble than it’s worth. If you can’t think of
an idea for your video, get together and pool ideas. If your
immediate mates don’t fancy
it, social media is a great
place to find similarly minded
YouTube obsessives. Take all
these tips in hand, and you’ll
??? In 2015 it’s all to play for. Will
soon have awards flying at you your favourite win? You’ll have to
from all angles. tune in to find out!
107
Beyond YouTube A career in vlogging
108
A career in vlogging Beyond YouTube
109
Beyond YouTube Control your brand
Control your
Your domain Your website can be your
calling card, from just a hub for your social
platforms to a blog, portfolio or media portal
brand
Bing takes us through what it takes to control your
brand and make a profession of YouTube
111
Beyond YouTube Control your brand
112
Control your brand Beyond YouTube
Making money
Your options Although vlogging for money
shouldn’t be your main focus, YouTube has
lots of monetising options
115
Beyond YouTube Making money
Joining an agency
YouTube is such a huge industry now that there are advertising
agencies specifically set up for YouTube stars to join. One of
Follow hashtags on Twitter the most famous of these is Team Gleam, who has vlogging
Advertisers and journalists that and blogging megastars like Zoella and The Lean Machines
need vloggers sometimes use on its books. An agency will take care of all the back and fore
hashtags to find them. Have
a look at #journorequest and between your channel and different companies for you – they
#prrequest for starters. specialise in negotiation so they’ll be trying to snag the best
deal for you.
Unsurprisingly, though, they won’t do this without taking a cut of
the profits, so be savvy and make sure they are offering you what is
good for you and your channel. If you’re a big Vine user, GrapeVine
is the agency for you. Jerome Jaar, who is one of the biggest Vine
stars on the planet, is one of the founders of this agency that’s full of
famous names.
Of course, you don’t have to sign up with a specifically YouTube
Ask around Have any of your agency. If you get in contact with some PR agencies that interest
vlogging mates passed over an you, they’ll email you with any opportunities that might be a good
opportunity that could be great fit for your channel. Remember that they need you as much as you
for you? Ask them! Maybe they’ll
introduce you to an agency you need them: say no to anything that you think won’t work for you
weren’t aware of. and your viewers. You know your channel best.
116
Making money Beyond YouTube
117
Beyond YouTube Going pro
Going pro
Breaking out It’s not just Zoella who has
done well out of YouTube – read on to get
acquainted with its other breakout stars
From movie stars to pop stars, and from beauty lines to book
signings, YouTube has been the driving force behind some of the
most successful celebrities from around the world. YouTube can act
as the perfect platform for you to sell yourself, and these YouTubers
have definitely used it to their advantage. Vlogging is such an
established art now that you might not even realise that your
favourite celebrity started out there – it’s becoming more and more
common for vloggers to build their own followings, without record
labels, agents or stylists. All you need is a bit of time and imagination
to jump-start a career in, well, whatever you like. Vlogging will help
you build heaps of transferrable skills, like marketing yourself and
clear communication. On the following pages are some of our
Recognition Walk Off The Earth have favourite stories of YouTube dreams coming true – make sure to visit
scored a record deal from their unique
covers of popular songs their channels to see what all the fuss is about.
118
Going pro Beyond YouTube
Musicians
Are you a tuneful type? Take notes from these guys, who have all seen chart
success after a musical start on YouTube
Mike Tompkins
The Canadian-born singer has amassed
over 175 million views on his YouTube channel.
Since supporting the Jonas Brothers on tour,
he has also featured on a hit single that went
to number one in Russia, and now writes
for top acts like Keri Hilson. His YouTube
channel is still very active, and he has even
collaborated with the Muppets in his signature a
cappella style.
Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber now racks up hundreds of millions
of views on his Vevo channel, but it wasn’t
always that way. Formerly, he was an über-
talented child star discovered on YouTube at
the tender age of 12. Soon the Canadian singer
was at the top of the Billboard 100 with his
sweet chart hit ‘Baby’ (which now has over one
billion views on YouTube). The Beliebers are one
dedicated bunch of fans.
119
Beyond YouTube Going pro
Miscellaneous
Mixing it up is the name of the game for this lot – they’ve been using their
many talents to think outside the box
Jonbehere
Jon Aitken’s channel takes real-life observations,
tag videos and tongue-in-cheek dramatic
readings of famous pop songs and blends them
together into an eccentric look at life that’s
linked together with impeccable editing. He’s
taken the skills he’s picked up in promoting
his channel on social media to a new job:
promoting a brand new app as a social media
manager for a tech start-up.
Troye Sivan
Multi-talented Australian YouTuber Troye Sivan is
a triple threat – he’s an actor, model and singer.
He has appeared in the movie X-Men Origins:
Wolverine and plays the lead character of 2010’s
Spud trilogy. He released an EP, Trxye in 2014
that charted in at number five in the US, and
he is now recording a full-length album. He has
also walked the runway for fashion powerhouse
Yves Saint Laurent.
Laci Green
Utah-born YouTuber Laci Green hosts a sex-
positive sex education channel aimed at young
people. Off the back of the success of her
no-nonsense approach to talking about the
birds and the bees, she’s scored a contract
with MTV, Planned Parenthood and Discovery
News. She is also an advocate for feminism, and
has appeared as a pundit on Channel 4 and
the BBC.
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Going pro Beyond YouTube
Book deals
Who said no one reads books any more? These guys show that their audiences
are as literate as ever with their bestselling books
Tanya Burr
Tanya Burr is part of super-vlogger agency,
Gleam Futures (also known as Team Gleam).
Following in the footsteps of fellow beauty
mega guru and Team Gleam-er Zoella, she’s
published her first book, Love, Tanya. The book
features Tanya’s advice on fashion, beauty, love
and friendship. She also shares her YouTube
knowledge in the bestselling book, and reveals
more about her journey to YouTube stardom.
Alfie Deyes
Another member of Team Gleam, Alfie Deyes,
now has two books under his publishing belt.
The Pointless Book, based on his YouTube
channel Pointless Blog, encourages readers
to fill in the blanks of the challenges posed
in the book which span baking, crafting and
games. There’s also an app to accompany the
activities. The Pointless Book 2 promises even
more quirkiness.
Fleur de Force
In Fleur de Force’s ultimate guide to beauty, The
Glam Guide, she shares her secrets on how to
beat jet lag and how to make relationships last,
as well as all things fashion and beauty-related.
Fleur has been YouTubing since 2009, and posts
inspiring tutorials, advice and hauls on her
YouTube channel, as well as over on
her informative blog, which also includes a
blog shop.
121
Beyond YouTube Going pro
Beauty products
What better to slap on your skin than a product developed by a beauty expert?
A wealth of experience has gone into these beauty lines
Pixiwoo
Make-up experts Samantha and Nicola
Chapman create YouTube videos under a joint
channel, Pixiwoo. They were approached to
make a brush line for Paris Presents, an already
established beauty line. The result, the Real
Techniques brushes, has been incredibly
popular with beauty lovers. You can find the
brushes on the high street, and Pixiwoo shows
you how to use them online.
Michelle Phan
Michelle Phan started out as a make-up
demonstrator, but soon found online stardom
as a YouTube maven. Her popularity originally
stemmed from her mimicking star looks such as
the iconic Lady Gaga’s Poker Face make-up and
showing viewers how they can channel Game
Of Thrones’ Daenerys Targaryen through hair
and make-up. She has released a make-up line
called ‘em’ in partnership with L’Oreal.
Lisa Eldridge
As well as having over a million subscribers on
YouTube, Lisa Eldridge has got a client list as
long as your arm. She’s worked with brands
such as Vogue, Maybelline, Stella McCartney,
Moschino, and many, many more. She has
worked with a flock of celebs too, including
Cheryl Cole, The Saturdays and Sienna Miller.
She has also worked as the creative director
at No7.
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Going pro Beyond YouTube
Filmmakers
If you’re into cameras and creativity, YouTube is the perfect place to show off
your skills – and these guys prove it
PJ Liguori
Already well known for his zany short films
over on his YouTube channel, KickThePj, PJ
has now been funded by Vimeo to make
a web-series of Oscar’s Hotel, a hotel of PJ’s
imagination that features all kinds of strange
and wonderful monsters that first aired on
his YouTube channel, which should boost his
continuously growing stature. The original
video has nearly 125,000 views.
Casey Neistat
Although Casey Neistat has never studied
at film school a day in his life, he’s managed
to build a filmmaking empire nonetheless.
He was the creative force behind The Neistat
Brothers, a HBO series that was picked up
for $2 million in 2008, and has had two
films premiere at Cannes. He has also filmed
adverts for the likes of Nike, J Crew and
Mercedes Benz.
Annoying Orange
The Annoying Orange was set up all the
way back in 2009, featuring – you guessed it –
an annoying orange. The prank-loving
fruit was given a series on Cartoon Network
in 2012 that ran for two years. The plot revolved
around Orange himself, as well as a cast of
similarly juicy characters like Grapefruit and
Pear. Have an educated guess what they were
played by…
123
Beyond YouTube My YouTube experience
My YouTube
Bingradio Bing’s home on YouTube is
called Bingradio; you’ll find all his different
projects there
experience
Christopher Bingham has been an active member
of the UK YouTube community since it started and
here he shares his experience with us
Jamie Of Mars A ridiculous Final Cut Porn In one of my The Bothering Still my most
short comedy sketch inspired by favourite works, comedy partner popular video, this collaboration
Edgar Rice Burrough’s sci-fi stories. Jamie and I play malnourished with my sister, Jenny Bingham, is
Jamie leaves me to care for his editors who get a little over- a nonsensical comedy about the
brainless body. excited about their work. pursuit of peace and quiet.
126
My YouTube experience Beyond YouTube
Learning by doing
YouTube, in some respects, forces you to
be a jack of all trades. Without the comparatively
big budgets of film and television, you end
up doing a lot of different jobs yourself, for
better or worse. When I first started out,
making videos for YouTube was a way to
test out new skills and techniques, with the
added bonus of an audience giving me
feedback, and not much has changed in that
regard. I still try to make every video different in
some way.
Meeting my influences
Independent filmmaking on YouTube is a global
community, and meeting people whose work
I admire has been one of the most rewarding
parts of my YouTube experience. The first time
I ever visited America, I slept on the couch
of Michael Rousselet, a founding member
of 5-SecondFilms and one of my biggest
influences. As a presenter for ChannelFlip
I visited Aardman Studios in Bristol and
interviewed another of my biggest internet
influences, animator David Firth.
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